You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan: Reboot of the '90s Rom-Com in the works
The movie starring the two Hollywood stars was once a box-office hit
A reboot of the rom-com "You've Got Mail" is in the works. In the 1990s film version, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan played the lead roles. It remains to be seen who will star in the planned remake. What is already certain: "I Want You Back" director Jason Orley is set to helm the project, as reported by Deadline. The filmmaker is also working on a screenplay based on a script by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. Details about the plot and a release date for the "You've Got Mail" reboot have not yet been announced.
In the film starring Hanks and Ryan, the latter played the protagonist Kathleen Kelly, the owner of an independent children's bookstore. Hanks portrayed Joe Fox, whose family runs a large bookstore chain. An online romance develops between the two – without them realizing that they are actually business rivals. The story is originally based on the 1937 Hungarian play "Parfumerie" by Miklós László. Nora Ephron, who passed away in 2012, directed the film adaptation from the 1990s. She also co-wrote the screenplay with her sister, Delia Ephron. In addition to Hanks and Ryan, the cast included Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, and Greg Kinnear.
A Box Office Hit of the '90s
"You've Got Mail" proved to be a hit at the box office: The romantic comedy, released in 1998, grossed $250 million worldwide – on a budget of $65 million. This was likely due in no small part to the two popular leads, Hanks and Ryan. Back in 1993, the on-screen duo had already captured the hearts of moviegoers in the rom-com classic "Sleepless in Seattle." That film was also directed by Nora Ephron.
Ryan was quite prominent in the 1990s anyway. During that time, in addition to her successes with "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail," she also made a name for herself with various other films. Among other roles, she starred in the drama "When a Man Loves a Woman" and the romantic comedy "French Kiss." In recent years, things have quieted down for Ryan. Most recently, she appeared alongside "The X-Files" star David Duchovny in "What Happens Later." Ryan also directed the romantic comedy and co-wrote the screenplay.
Two Oscars in the '90s
The 1990s were also a particularly successful decade for Hanks. This is due in no small part to the two Oscars he won during that decade for his leading roles in the drama "Philadelphia" and the tragicomedy "Forrest Gump." But he also made a name for himself in the '90s with movies like the astronaut drama "Apollo 13" and the war film "Saving Private Ryan." In the decades that followed, he took on numerous other roles that further cemented his status as a big Hollywood star.
Unlike Ryan, Hanks has remained quite active in recent years, collaborating time and again with renowned directors. Among other projects, he most recently appeared in Robert Zemeckis' "Here" and Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme." In the latter film, he starred alongside numerous other high-profile stars such as Benicio del Toro, Riz Ahmed, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, and Benedict Cumberbatch. You can get a glimpse of "The Phoenician Scheme" by watching the trailer:
